Election: Tuesday May 16, 2017
Voters in the North Colonie School district will vote on Tuesday May 16, 2017 on three things. First, the annual district budget needs to be approved. Second, a reduced Capital Project to address needed improvements in district infrastructure. Third, there are two candidates vying for a single open seat on the Board of Education.
We recommend reading the District’s summary of the budget and Capital Project, which should provide a good picture of what’s on the ballot.
We’ve also put together a summary of the candidates for the Board of Education seat, which we hope you will find helpful in deciding how to vote.
Vote at the Goodrich School: 91 Fiddlers Lane
Unlike in previous years, this year’s voting will take place solely at the District Offices at the Goodrich School: 91 Fiddler’s Lane, Latham, NY 12110.
Why only one location?
New York State law requires that districts that don’t have a system of personal voter registration have only a single polling location. While the District has previously allowed voting at any of the elementary schools, that practice was apparently a violation of the law.
In order to allow voting at the local elementary schools, voters would have needed to approve a referendum changing the voting system, and then voters would have needed to register 30 days prior to the next election. In January, the Board of Education made the decision to stick with the single polling location, rather than hold an additional referendum and risk accidentally disenfranchising voters who neglected to register before the May 16 vote.